Keating Talks 'Minefield' Alien Encounter

Dominic Keating's uptight armoury officer Malcolm Reed will be one of the first humans to encounter a very familiar alien race in the upcoming episode 'Minefield'.

"We meet the Romulans for the first time, and I have no idea who they are!" Keating told the audience at last weekend's Vulkon convention in Tampa, Florida, according to a report at TrekWeb.

Keating told the site's Steve Krutzler he will feature prominently in the episode, the third instalment of Enterprise's sophomore season. "I'm learning the lines like crazy at the moment - I'm outside the ship and trying to diffuse a mine. And then it all goes wrong man!" he joked. "I don't know if I'm coming back for episode four!"

'Minefield' marks the Enterprise debut of former X-Files scribe and Emmy-nominee John Shiban, who will serve as co-executive producer. "We're shooting it right now," Keating said. "It's a great episode, it really bonds Captain Archer and Malcolm Reed, we have a lot of scenes together. It's kind of 'Shuttlepod One' but with the captain outside rather [than trapped together with Reed]. I haven't seen the sets, [but] it's a great episode, you're going to like it!"

Executive producer Brannon Braga last week said the NX-01 crew would encounter the Romulans early in the season (story). According to the Original Series episode 'Balance of Terror,' no human had ever seen a Romulan up to that point, but the writer emphasised there would be no continuity violation. "We've been very careful. The continuity is airtight. Believe me. We know. We know."

The full article, in which Keating also talked about conventions and his character's love of pineapple, can be found here at TrekWeb.